The Exchange

Business across the state are facing tough decisions, with some deciding to close their doors, either temporarily or permanently, while others, like restaurants, are choosing to offer only take-out options.

We'll discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting small businesses, what they are doing to cope with this new reality, and how they can plan for the future. 

Air date: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 from 9-10 a.m.

In a special extended edition of The Exchange, Dr. Benjamin Chan and Dr. Elizabeth Talbot bring us the latest updates and recommendations for navigating the coronavirus pandemic in N.H. 

Read all of NHPR's coronavirus coverage here. 

Air date: Monday, March 30, 2020 from 10-11 a.m.

Governor Sununu issues a stay-at-home order until May 4th, and announced schools will remain closed until that date. The federal government is set to enact a $2 trillion stimulus package to support the economy as the coronavirus continues to have widespread impact on the country. And testing challenges for COVID-19 remain in New Hampshire, as healthcare facilities prepare for even more cases. 

Read all of NHPR's coronavirus coverage. 

Air date: Friday, March 27, 2020

With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe, everyone is being urged to isolate at home and distance themselves from one another. But what happens if you’re in recovery for substance use disorder and isolating yourself is detrimental to your health? We discuss how recovery centers are providing care remotely and how those in recovery are coping.

Air date: Thursday, March 26, 2020

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu contends that a policy of social distancing is sufficient to "flatten the curve" of coronavirus in the state. A recent executive order prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people; that number was later reduced to 10 people. Some state and city leaders, including the mayors of Nashua and Manchester, are advocating for more stringent measures. We discuss what “shelter in place” means, where the state currently stands with official closures, and the impacts on the state economy.

Air Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2020

The Exchange will produce a special extended second hour on Wednesday at 10 a.m., as we talk with New Hampshire Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster. We'll discuss how Congress has responded to the coronavirus epidemic, including bipartisan legislation that is aimed at helping families, small businesses, and health agencies at all levels of government. We'll also get her response to the latest developments here in New Hampshrie, including the state's first death due to coronavirus and limits on public gatherings. 

What questions do you have about the federal response to the coronavirus? How has it impacted your life? Submit your questions before the show using NHPR's coronavirus listener survey.

Air date: 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 25, 2020

As remote learning ramps up this week, for students who recieve additional services from their school, including special education, the transition to remote learning is complex. We hear how educators, families, and students are navigating the transition. 

Air date: Tues, March 24, 2020. 

On this edition of The Exchange, we get an update from Dr. Ben Chan, New Hampshire's state epidemiologist, about the current extent of coronavirus in the Granite State.

Then we talk with healthcare leaders in Manchester, the state's largest city, to discuss their efforts to prepare for an expected surge in cases and steps they are taking to keep healthcare workers safe with a shortage in personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, gowns.

We also hear from a family doctor about challenges his practice is facing in addressing medical issues in addition to Covid-19.

Air date: Monday, March 23, 2020

Friday on The Exchange, it's the Weekly New Hampshire News Roundup, and we'll take stock of a week when the coronavirus pandemic life changed for so many in the Granite State. Schools shut down, restaurants closed, and large gatherings banned. We'll examine changes to the state's unemployment benefits, the capacity for testing COVID-19, and the roll out of remote learning plans. 

Children of all ages are at home full time now that schools have cancelled classes due to coronavirus concerns. That means that parents have to juggle work as well as their kids' education and other activities. How have they been grappling with the situation at home while trying to keep their families healthy? We talk Thursday, March 19, with Dawn Huebner and K.J Dell'Antonia about helping families cope with having their children at home. 

Click here to read all of NHPR's coverage of coronavirus. 

Air date: Thursday, March 19, 2020. 

As colleges and universities across the state are sending students home for longer spring breaks and remote learning, we discuss how higher education institutions are preparing for the coronavirus. Are they ready to protect their staff and students from the outbreak? We'll talk with Dr. Michelle Perkins, Allie Reyes, Dr. Larissa Baia and Daniela Allee about what challenges they're facing as students leave campus and as they prepare for the coming months. 

Air Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2020. 

What is the federal government doing to help states and healthcare providers prepare for the growing number of cases of the coronavirus? We talk with Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Then, we look at how those who recieve food assistance, from SNAP to  free or reduced school lunches, are impacted by school closures and other strains on social services. 

Air date: March 17, 2020. 

With 13 confirmed statewide cases of coronavirus, NH officials are taking aggressive steps to try to contain the spread in the Granite State. Gov. Chris Sununu announced Sunday that he is ordering all K-12 public schools to close for at least three weeks and transition to remote learning. On The Exchange Monday,  we'll explore the latest developments and take your questions.

Click here for all of NHPR's coronavirus coverage. 

Air date: Monday, March 16

The growing number of COVID-19 cases has prompted governments to encourage behaviors that will slow or stop the spread of coronavirus, and in some cases, that has meant closing schools. Some large gatherings of people have been canceled, but lawmakers still gathered in Concord this week to debate legislation. 

Even as tax preparers and advisors have been helping taxpayers to understand the changes enacted by the 2017 federal tax overhaul, now there is a new law affecting retirement planning, small businesses, and part-time workers. Meanwhile, Trump Administration officials and some Democratic Senators are asking the IRS to extend the filing deadline. One concern:  Many taxpayer interactions occur in person, including at clinics for low-income taxpayers and assistance centers run by the IRS, raising concerns about potential exposure to COVID-19, now deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization. 

Air date: March 12, 2020

As schools close, business travel is cancelled, and more offices encourage people to work from home, we look at how response to the spread of the coronavirus impacts our economy in New Hampshire, and what global economic volatility might mean for the Granite State. 

Click here for all of our coronavirus coverage. 

Air date: Wednesday, March 11, 2020. 

With the New Hampshire Primary and Super Tuesday now behind us, we explore the rules on how delegates are divided up following primary elections. We discuss what happens to a candidate's delegates if they drop out, how superdelegates decide who to vote for and the impact this may have on each party's chosen nominee this summer.

Air date: Tuesday, March 10, 2020. 

We talk with maple sugarers about the lure and mythology of "winter's sweet farewell." Maple sugar season traditionally begins on Town Meeting Day in early March in New Hampshire. With warming winters and unpredictable weather swings, however, large syrup producers depend on modern technology, like vacuum pumps and reverse osmosis, to start tapping and boiling whenever the sap runs, even as early as December. But New Hampshire's sugarbushes are still full of family-run sugar shacks, relying on gravity-fed taps and burning wood to boil the sap. 

Air date: Monday, March 9, 2020

Concerns rise in New Hampshire over the coronavirus. This hour, we speak with Manchester mayor Joyce Craig about the city’s plan for the possible arrival of COVID-19 in New Hampshire. We also talk about a variety of other issues facing the city. Later in the hour, we discuss with Sierra Hubbard of the Keene Sentinel about what cuts to Monadnock United Way mean for nonprofits in the region. And we hear how the NHPR newsroom is covering coronavirus.

Air Date: March 6, 2020

On Thursday, March 5, at 9 a.m., The Exchange brings you the latest on the impact of the novel coronavirus that has reached the United States, both across the country and right here in New Hampshire. 

We'll talk with a panel of experts - including state health officials - about how to prepare, what to expect, and what (and what not) to worry about. 

Click here for the latest coronavirus news from NHPR.

Analysis and reflecting following Super Tuesday voting in fourteen states and one U.S. territory. More than 1,300 delegates — about a third of the total — are decided on Super Tuesday, more than on any other day in the primary election.  We examine the impact of huge states like California and Texas, and discuss results out of  Massachusetts, home state of Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Governor Bill Weld, whose primary challenge against President Trump continues.  

Air Date: Weds., March 4, 2020

New Hampshire schools do not have a formal sex education curriculum, and the classroom is not the only way kids learn about sex, gender, and sexuality these days. So how are they learning about sex, and what are they learning, good and bad, from their peers, their parents, and the internet? Listeners, how do you talk to your kids about sex? And what did you wish you had when you were younger? 

Check out Second Greatest Show on Earth's series about sex education in New Hampshire. 

Air date: Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

This year, several towns, in addition to electing local officials, are debating whether to allow sports-betting at retail locations and whether to expand or build new libraries. Also on the agenda: repairing crumbling infrastructure, upgrading water treatment plants, and buying new emergency equipment.  In addition to local matters, some towns  will also consider supporting -- or opposing -- national or even global efforts, such as carbon pricing. 

Air date: March 2, 2020

The idea of massively expanding tree planting as a solution to climate change started in the hallowed halls of academia, but has found its way to Capitol Hill. Republican lawmakers have seized on it as a climate policy they can support. 

New Hampshire remains one of the least racially diverse states in the country, but that diversity is growing. Wednesday on The Exchange, we reflect on Black History Month and talk with leaders of color in the Granite State. We'll discuss the work they're doing in the Statehouse and in local communities, and about where New Hampshire still lags in equality and representation.

 Air date: Feb. 26, 2020.         

The Granite State is famous for ice-climbing spots like Cathedral Ledge and Cannon Cliff. We explore the appeal of the sport and it's impact on the economy of the North Country. We talk with experienced ice climbers who guide beginners as well as advanced ice climbers and discuss the impact of climate change; they’re seeing a shorter season and less predictable ice.

Air Date: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020